One of the most magnetic traits about 30 Seconds to Mars is their lack of concern about chasing trends. Despite millions of records sold and an ever increasing fan base, the trio seems more committed than ever to the artistic vision that originally compelled the members to form a band.
“We are very committed to touring behind [“This is War”] and it feels very much alive,” says drummer Shannon Leto, who co-founded the band with his brother Jared. “It’s seems like there’s so much we haven’t done in production, live performance.”
| Onstage |
| 30 Seconds to Mars |
| When: 7 p.m. Wednesday |
| Where: Patriot Center, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax |
| Details: $32.50 to $39.50; 202-397-SEAT; ticketmaster.com |
Although this is the second phase of the tour behind the band’s latest album, which was produced by Flood (U2, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins) and Steve Lillywhite (U2, the Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel), the band still approaches the music as a canvas for their latest artistic expression.
“Flood has a karmic ability to work with bands in these intense transformational periods of their creative lives,” Jared Leto has said. “We knew we were ready for something new, something different, something unexpected. Flood was the perfect person to help guide us down this path.”
Beyond the music, the trio is moving ahead with other elements of art to complement their music. They consider everything from lighting to fashion to be part of the artistic performances they present.
“My brother and I grew up with paints and instruments surrounding us at our house,” said Shannon Leto. “Those were our toys. We have always been into visual arts and graphic art so all of that is a natural progressions. It’s all very normal to us.”
That translates into major sonic shifts from one album to the next. Shannon Leto points to an array of inspirations that range from a drumbeat to a snippet of a conversation to a piece of graphic design for their various inspirations.
The point, he said, is never to try to analyze or preplan the art but to always approach it from a different perspective.
“We tell ourselves we want to do something different always, we want to evolve,” he said. “That’s just the way that it is. Every time we try to approach recording experience we throw out our other ideas and experiences. It’s a great challenge but it’s also very exciting.”
